Numerical Relativity @ Penn State Numerical Relativity @ Penn State
Numerical Relativity @ Penn State
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Matters of Gravity

Pablo Laguna

Professor
Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics
Dept. of Physics
Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos
Center for Gravitational Wave Physics
Penn State University

Contact Info:
www: http://www.astro.psu.edu/~pablo
email: pablo@astro.psu.edu
office: 424 Davey Lab
work: (814) 863-8470
staff assist: (814) 865-0418
fax: (814) 863-3399
mail: Dept. Astronomy & Astrophysics
525 Davey Lab
Penn State
University Park, PA 16802

Research:

Supercomputer technology has changed dramatically the landscape of General Relativity. Numerical Relativity, namely the formulation of Einstein field equations in a way amenable to numerical analysis, has emerged as a field of its own. I am a numerical relativist studying astrophysical systems where general relativistic effects play a fundamental role. Currently, the primary focus of my research is the numerical simulation of the coalescence of black hole binaries. The collision of black holes is a central problem in General Relativity. This problem will not only expose the complex, non-linear nature of Einstein's field equations, but it will also bring General Relativity much closer in harmony with the observations of gravitational radiation expected to take place in the near future.

Education & Experience:

2000 Professor, Depts. of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Physics, Penn State
1998 - 2000 Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Penn State
1992 - 1998 Assist. Professor, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Penn State
1990 - 1992 Postdoc, Theoretical Astrophysics Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory
1989 - 1990 Postdoc, Physics Department, Drexel University
1987 - 1989 Postdoc, Center for Relativity, University of Texas at Austin
1982 - 1987 Ph.D., Physics, University of Texas at Austin
1977 - 1981 B.Sc., Physics, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Mexico